Dr. Leonid Lerner is an assistant professor and physician-scientist in UC Irvine?s Department of Ophthalmology specializing in the diseases and surgery of the retina and the vitreous???the thick, transparent substance that fills the center of the eye.
Dr. Lerner and his team investigate the causes of age-related diseases that affect vision ? such as age-related macular degeneration ? and attempt to develop new treatments to manage such diseases.? ?In particular, he and his team are studying the biology of adult bone marrow-derived stem cells focusing on their regenerative effects and their ability to protect other cells. ?He and team members are attempting to develop stem cell-based therapy for such retinal and age-related diseases. ?In addition, Dr. Lerner is involved in testing new treatments for retinal disease on patients ? known as ?clinical trials? ? at UC Irvine?s Gavin S. Herbert Eye Institute.
He completed an internship in Internal Medicine at the USC/Los Angeles County Medical Center and a residency in Ophthalmology at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA, where he also completed his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology.